Security Consultants!
Security Consultants!
Who are Security Consultants?
Security
Consultants are the most powerful people in this industry of mine. They
are responsible for the design and specifications of most of the major
projects and are extremely influential in the award of contracts.
Security
Managers / Corporate administrators depend on these consultants to help
them guide and design systems for their establishments.
Corporates
use these Security Consultants to help them choose a System Integrator
who will do the job at the lowest price based on factors written in the
specifications by the Consultants.
So in short Security Consultants are the biggest links between the Manufacturer and the End Client.
Manufacturer’s
across the industry fear consultants as they can either approve /
disapprove a make for a project, put down a specification which a
manufacturer can quote for or has minimal deviation impact while quoting
for in a project.
Corporates and End User’s depend on
these consultants to come up with a design and specification which will
provide them with the best solution at the cheapest cost. Often the
Consultants best design is actually the worst design since most designs
are based on cost effective concerns.
Most manufacturers
will go out of the way to please a consultant because the lack of
knowledge of the consultant allows the manufacturer to brainwash the
consultant with their product features. This knowledge gap screws a
project from day one…..
Most Manufacturers will announce
a product launch by hosting a launch presentation followed by lunch
with cocktails and dinner for consultants.
Over the
years I have observed that a particular Sales Guy is attached to A or B
consultant since that particular Sales Guy would have a decent personal
equation with the consultant.
Most consultants will specify a product of a specific make for most of their projects since they follow the one size fits all rule.
This happens because a consultant who specified a particular product
for a particular project got decent feedback from clients, price
expectations were met and probably was even taken care of well by the
manufacturer. This document then becomes his master document which is
photocopied with only the cover page being changed across various
projects. This may be applicable and may not make or have a major impact
for a product like a fire detection or access control system but where
it comes to CCTV it creates havoc….
Today’s Security
Consultants play the consultant role for IBMS systems as a whole and
this suits the End User as they have to deal with only one entity who
seems to have knowledge on all the systems across IBMS. Most of these
Security Consultants migrated from being MEP consultants or people who
were once part of a system integrating company and as such this tells
you the story of their knowledge base.
Most consultants
are not respected by the Manufacturer’s Sales guy. I also fall into this
category and the honest truth is that I have yet to see a consultant in
India who has any idea about CCTV!
Most consultants
will have a manufacturer write down the specifications from the
manufacturer’s A &E Specification because he has no clue of what to
specify....
This lack of knowledge creates problems to
both the Honest System Integrator and also the Manufacturer but benefits
the End User because of the Ambiguity that this lack of knowledge
creates.
So what does it take to become a consultant?
A consultant needs to have knowledge and that too knowledge from experience of having designed and installed systems.
A
consultant needs to be totally independent with a mind and spine of his
own. This can only happen if the consultant is technically fully aware
of the product he is dealing and specifying.
A
consultant needs to also be a risk assessment person who can first check
on the risk or threat perception, talk to the security manager on the
various threats the company faces and then provide the alternatives to
the client always with the honest intention of providing value to his
client ( the End User ) long term.
A consultant
needs to have the ability and vision to see across systems / products
and specify products / systems which will benefit the End User long term
from a cost to long term benefit exercise.
A consultant needs to
be able to listen to people around ( The ART OF LISTENING IS THE FIRST
FORM OF COMMUNICATION ) and understand from the ground level what the
actual challenges are for each site independent of the Manufacturer
product lines.
Finally a consultant needs to take onus
and responsibility for the system design that they specify to ensure it
meets and functions as desired by the Security Manger and Corporate
Entity they are employed by in the first place.
What is the future?
Will we have proper security consultants in the future? That my friends is the million dollar question… We need knowledgeable people from the industry to become consultants.
I
do believe that if the industry has given me so much it is now time
that I repay this industry by providing them with the knowledge base
that I have been blessed to have acquired over the past 3 decades!
Until
and unless we can formulate policies which are designed to benefit end
clients and which are made out for specific projects we can never have
an independent security consultant!
All views, feedback, brickbats welcome !
Who are Security Consultants?
Security Consultants are the most powerful people in this industry of mine. They are responsible for the design and specifications of most of the major projects and are extremely influential in the award of contracts.
Security Managers / Corporate administrators depend on these consultants to help them guide and design systems for their establishments.
Corporates use these Security Consultants to help them choose a System Integrator who will do the job at the lowest price based on factors written in the specifications by the Consultants.
So in short Security Consultants are the biggest links between the Manufacturer and the End Client.
Manufacturer’s across the industry fear consultants as they can either approve / disapprove a make for a project, put down a specification which a manufacturer can quote for or has minimal deviation impact while quoting for in a project.
Corporates and End User’s depend on these consultants to come up with a design and specification which will provide them with the best solution at the cheapest cost. Often the Consultants best design is actually the worst design since most designs are based on cost effective concerns.
Most manufacturers will go out of the way to please a consultant because the lack of knowledge of the consultant allows the manufacturer to brainwash the consultant with their product features. This knowledge gap screws a project from day one…..
Most Manufacturers will announce a product launch by hosting a launch presentation followed by lunch with cocktails and dinner for consultants.
Over the years I have observed that a particular Sales Guy is attached to A or B consultant since that particular Sales Guy would have a decent personal equation with the consultant.
Most consultants will specify a product of a specific make for most of their projects since they follow the one size fits all rule. This happens because a consultant who specified a particular product for a particular project got decent feedback from clients, price expectations were met and probably was even taken care of well by the manufacturer. This document then becomes his master document which is photocopied with only the cover page being changed across various projects. This may be applicable and may not make or have a major impact for a product like a fire detection or access control system but where it comes to CCTV it creates havoc….
Today’s Security Consultants play the consultant role for IBMS systems as a whole and this suits the End User as they have to deal with only one entity who seems to have knowledge on all the systems across IBMS. Most of these Security Consultants migrated from being MEP consultants or people who were once part of a system integrating company and as such this tells you the story of their knowledge base.
Most consultants are not respected by the Manufacturer’s Sales guy. I also fall into this category and the honest truth is that I have yet to see a consultant in India who has any idea about CCTV!
Most consultants will have a manufacturer write down the specifications from the manufacturer’s A &E Specification because he has no clue of what to specify....
This lack of knowledge creates problems to both the Honest System Integrator and also the Manufacturer but benefits the End User because of the Ambiguity that this lack of knowledge creates.
So what does it take to become a consultant?
A consultant needs to have knowledge and that too knowledge from experience of having designed and installed systems.
A consultant needs to be totally independent with a mind and spine of his own. This can only happen if the consultant is technically fully aware of the product he is dealing and specifying.
A consultant needs to also be a risk assessment person who can first check on the risk or threat perception, talk to the security manager on the various threats the company faces and then provide the alternatives to the client always with the honest intention of providing value to his client ( the End User ) long term.
A consultant needs to have the ability and vision to see across systems / products and specify products / systems which will benefit the End User long term from a cost to long term benefit exercise.
A consultant needs to be able to listen to people around ( The ART OF LISTENING IS THE FIRST FORM OF COMMUNICATION ) and understand from the ground level what the actual challenges are for each site independent of the Manufacturer product lines.
Finally a consultant needs to take onus and responsibility for the system design that they specify to ensure it meets and functions as desired by the Security Manger and Corporate Entity they are employed by in the first place.
What is the future?
Will we have proper security consultants in the future? That my friends is the million dollar question… We need knowledgeable people from the industry to become consultants.
I do believe that if the industry has given me so much it is now time that I repay this industry by providing them with the knowledge base that I have been blessed to have acquired over the past 3 decades!
Until and unless we can formulate policies which are designed to benefit end clients and which are made out for specific projects we can never have an independent security consultant!
All views, feedback, brickbats welcome !
Security Consultants are the most powerful people in this industry of mine. They are responsible for the design and specifications of most of the major projects and are extremely influential in the award of contracts.
Security Managers / Corporate administrators depend on these consultants to help them guide and design systems for their establishments.
Corporates use these Security Consultants to help them choose a System Integrator who will do the job at the lowest price based on factors written in the specifications by the Consultants.
So in short Security Consultants are the biggest links between the Manufacturer and the End Client.
Manufacturer’s across the industry fear consultants as they can either approve / disapprove a make for a project, put down a specification which a manufacturer can quote for or has minimal deviation impact while quoting for in a project.
Corporates and End User’s depend on these consultants to come up with a design and specification which will provide them with the best solution at the cheapest cost. Often the Consultants best design is actually the worst design since most designs are based on cost effective concerns.
Most manufacturers will go out of the way to please a consultant because the lack of knowledge of the consultant allows the manufacturer to brainwash the consultant with their product features. This knowledge gap screws a project from day one…..
Most Manufacturers will announce a product launch by hosting a launch presentation followed by lunch with cocktails and dinner for consultants.
Over the years I have observed that a particular Sales Guy is attached to A or B consultant since that particular Sales Guy would have a decent personal equation with the consultant.
Most consultants will specify a product of a specific make for most of their projects since they follow the one size fits all rule. This happens because a consultant who specified a particular product for a particular project got decent feedback from clients, price expectations were met and probably was even taken care of well by the manufacturer. This document then becomes his master document which is photocopied with only the cover page being changed across various projects. This may be applicable and may not make or have a major impact for a product like a fire detection or access control system but where it comes to CCTV it creates havoc….
Today’s Security Consultants play the consultant role for IBMS systems as a whole and this suits the End User as they have to deal with only one entity who seems to have knowledge on all the systems across IBMS. Most of these Security Consultants migrated from being MEP consultants or people who were once part of a system integrating company and as such this tells you the story of their knowledge base.
Most consultants are not respected by the Manufacturer’s Sales guy. I also fall into this category and the honest truth is that I have yet to see a consultant in India who has any idea about CCTV!
Most consultants will have a manufacturer write down the specifications from the manufacturer’s A &E Specification because he has no clue of what to specify....
This lack of knowledge creates problems to both the Honest System Integrator and also the Manufacturer but benefits the End User because of the Ambiguity that this lack of knowledge creates.
So what does it take to become a consultant?
A consultant needs to have knowledge and that too knowledge from experience of having designed and installed systems.
A consultant needs to be totally independent with a mind and spine of his own. This can only happen if the consultant is technically fully aware of the product he is dealing and specifying.
A consultant needs to also be a risk assessment person who can first check on the risk or threat perception, talk to the security manager on the various threats the company faces and then provide the alternatives to the client always with the honest intention of providing value to his client ( the End User ) long term.
A consultant needs to have the ability and vision to see across systems / products and specify products / systems which will benefit the End User long term from a cost to long term benefit exercise.
A consultant needs to be able to listen to people around ( The ART OF LISTENING IS THE FIRST FORM OF COMMUNICATION ) and understand from the ground level what the actual challenges are for each site independent of the Manufacturer product lines.
Finally a consultant needs to take onus and responsibility for the system design that they specify to ensure it meets and functions as desired by the Security Manger and Corporate Entity they are employed by in the first place.
What is the future?
Will we have proper security consultants in the future? That my friends is the million dollar question… We need knowledgeable people from the industry to become consultants.
I do believe that if the industry has given me so much it is now time that I repay this industry by providing them with the knowledge base that I have been blessed to have acquired over the past 3 decades!
Until and unless we can formulate policies which are designed to benefit end clients and which are made out for specific projects we can never have an independent security consultant!
All views, feedback, brickbats welcome !
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